


We're All In This Together

by JohaJack



Series: The Many Trials, Errors and Triumphs of Monsters with Issues [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Support, Friendship, Just some really rough times, Papyrus (Undertale) Has Issues, Papyrus (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Papyrus and Alphys are depressed and support each other, Papyrus-centric, Sans loves papyrus so much you guys, Self-Harm, Social Anxiety, Suicidal Ideation, Undyne is trying her best, anger issues, skelebros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2019-11-04 22:26:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17906816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohaJack/pseuds/JohaJack
Summary: Papyrus is feeling down.He has been for a lot of his life, really. But how can he say anything? He's built himself up as "THE GREAT PAPYRUS" and god knows THE GREAT PAPYRUS never feels scared. Or worthless. Or angry. Or depressed. He's Papyrus, and Papyrus has to maintain what makes him him without worrying the others he cares about.Alphys is a wreck.Her past constantly haunts her, her anxieties filling her with great worry each day. They weight her down like metal balls strapped to her ankles. She was a monster, in more ways then one.When these two collide one night, what was once kept well sewn together begins to tear and unravel, changing their lives for better, or for worse.





	1. Papyrus Plays Minecraft IRL

**Author's Note:**

> *PSA: I HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATING DUE TO LOTS OF WORK AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.* I spent some time at the hospital and now I'm a bit better. I'm working on the next chapter. So sorry for the delays!  
> _________________________________  
> Hi everyone! This is something I've wanted to write for a long time. I've had a soft spot for Papyrus angst for a long time, but unfortunately the amount of fics centered on canon universe papy seems to be running a bit dry. I've also just been interested to see how Alphys and papyrus would interact with each other, since they were friends on the Undernet. This concept was very much inspired by the fic "I'm Feeling Fine, Kid" by maximum_overboner. I've also been inspired by a lot of the stuff written by Yessica, so please check her out as well.  
> Trigger warning this chapter for self harm and suicidal ideation  
> Without further a-do, lets get into this thing!

    It smells like bone marrow and bad decisions.

    Papyrus is shaking, his bones clacking and rattling together. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth hard until all he heard was a ringing noise drowning out the rest of the outside world.

    Papyrus would like to think he's fine, because he should be. He's The Great Papyrus! He's supposed to be a figurehead of confidence and honor. He's the embodiment of courage and strength. So why....

    Why did he feel so _angry?_

    The overwhelming feeling of rage surged throughout his whole body as he paced back and forth in his room. _Why can’t he just be like everyone else. Why does everything have to be so damn difficult. Why can’t I just be normal for everyone. For Sans._

    Papyrus threw himself onto his bed and craned his neck to look at the clock beside him. The clock read 8 pm. It wasn’t too late; his brother might still be awake if he hadn’t taken one of his many naps by now. Papyrus’ metaphorical stomach churned as he leaped out of his bed, unable to contain himself. It was all too much. Too many thoughts, and Papyrus hated each and every one of them.

    “NO….” Papyrus mumbled to himself as he began to hyperventilate and pace faster. He wasn’t enough for anyone. He would never be enough, he just isn’t. Everyone has always liked Sans a whole lot better than him. Yes, Papyrus might have gotten on him for his constant lazy habits, but Sans has always had the upper edge when it came to smarts and social skills. They would always crowd around him, compliment him and be his friend. While Papyrus often just stood in the corner and stared down at his boots.

    “NO,” he thought to himself, “NO MORE THINKING.”

    Papyrus crouched down to his knees and held his skull in his hands. He tapped his foot rapidly. Everything was so heavy. It’s been heavy for so long. God, he just needed to lighten it somehow, _anyhow_. He can’t tell Sans. He would worry, and he already had problems of his own. Papyrus always knew about how Sans wouldn’t get out of bed some days because he was in one of his moods or how Sans never seemed to genuinely smile much these days, despite how much Sans tried to hide it from him. There was no point in troubling Sans any deeper.

    “B-B-BREATH PAPYRUS… J-JUST BREATH,” he shakily whispered to himself, but it was of no use. Every gasp of breath left him feeling desperate for something more. The walls of his room felt like they were closing in, locking Papyrus and everything he is in a confinement he would never escape from. The walls were loud. The walls trapped him.

    Papyrus tightened his fists. _He needed to get out of there._

    Papyrus wasn’t sure if Sans was awake or even at home, but nonetheless he decided to write a note explaining his absence. He snatched a piece of yellow note paper from his notebook and hastily scrawled:

    _BROTHER! I HAVE GONE OFF TO ENGAGE IN SPECIAL LATE-NIGHT TRAINING WITH UNDYNE. SHE SAYS IT’S TO HELP SHARPEN OUR “NIGHT VISION” FOR MORE EFFECTIVE ATTACKS. I WILL BE BACK IN A BIT. SEE YOU SOON! -THE GREAT PAPYRUS_

    He grabbed the note and rushed downstairs, nearly tripping over himself. With trembling hands, he quickly taped the note to the kitchen counter and head out into the Snowdin forest.

    It was snowing that day, and he was only wearing his battle body. It’s not like skeletons can get cold, but he never looked forward to drying out the crevices in his bones where snow tended to land on and then melt, dripping into his battle body. As he ran deep into the forest, he heard the crunch of snow from beneath his feet. He began to stamp his feet harder and he traveled across the snow.

    _CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH. STOMP STOMP STOMP._

    Papyrus became more aggressive with his footing, feeling each heavy step he made with the ground. The pressure soothed him; he guesses he could say it _grounded_ him.

    Oh, Sans would have loved that.

    Papyrus kept on his warpath until he was faced head on with a large, thick oak tree that towered before him. Its sturdy trunk stared at Papyrus, almost taunting him.

    “You’re such a disappointment,” went through Papyrus’ mind, “You don’t even know how to feel properly.”

    Papyrus stared at that tree, bouncing his feet for a long time, training his sight on the lines and patterns along the wood. The trees in Snowdin were so beautiful, he had to admit.

    _WEAK_

    Papyrus breathed in the chilly air of the forest and let himself feel every flake of snow that hit his bones. Papyrus attempted to wipe away the snow, but it had begun snowing harder than before, making much more difficult. Why had they decided to live in Snowdin, anyway?

    _WORTHLESS_

    Every bone in Papyrus’ body shook. His skull felt like it was splitting in two. His fists were clenched together so tight, he felt small, sharp pains in his knuckles. His eyes burned. His arms burned. Everything about him burned. He took, quick, sharp breaths.

    _NOBODY_

    He swung with all he had at the tree, the gloves of his battle body cushioning the impact. An indent had been marked on the tree, as if it had been hit by a stray baseball from one of the children’s games during recess. Papyrus growled. The punch released him, relieved him of all the pressure building up in his body, transferring it to his fists.

    So he kept swinging at the tree as if it was his worst enemy. As if it was the vilest creature in the underground as he could think of. As if it was a criminal who had murdered and beaten others for their own pleasure. As if it was papyrus himself. Papyrus swung and jabbed and pounded into the tree, splintering it apart. Papyrus was an axe.

    Papyrus roared a blood curdling scream. He ripped off his gloves and chucked them onto the ground. It wasn’t enough. He needed to feel it more. He needed to hurt more. _He just wanted more!_

    Now with bare knuckles, Papyrus beat the living hell out of the tree. The sounds of cracking and smashing filled Papyrus’ head as he continued to attack. He felt fingers brake, knuckles crack, arms fracture. He ignored the injuries, but he absorbed every bit of pain he could while high off the adrenaline, relished in the contact of fist to wood. His arms thrust at the tree violently and he scrunched his face into a rough, angered expression.

    _**SNAP**_

    Papyrus stopped abruptly, hands trembling.

    _**CREAK**_

    It was falling. Oh god, he had cut the damn thing in half.

    _**THUD**_

    Papyrus sunk his knees in unison with the tree as it fell to the floor, emitting a loud noise that penetrated the calm serenity of the forest. The tree lay destroyed in the snow, pieces of wood and branches fractured off around it. Papyrus grasped at the snow beneath him and hissed as he brought his palms forward.

    He had done a lot of damage this time. six broken fingers, three dislocated knuckles, a fractured palm and a lock crack going up along his left ulna. Blobs of bone marrow were splattered on the ground, along with pieces of chipped off bone. Papyrus inhaled deeply looking at the damage. The greater pain that was masked by adrenaline began to make is appearance as his wounds throbbed.

    Oh god he’s gone really far. He needs to heal, he can’t let Sans see this, Sans will be so worried, Sans will hate him Sans can’t view him like this he just can’t _he can’t-_

    What was he doing? He needed to take advantage or the fact that his nerves had calmed down some and start thinking rationally. He can heal himself a bit, though it wouldn’t erase all the damage that had been done. Healing wasn’t Papyrus’ strong suit, but he had learned some over the years. He had learned more so during a different training session with Undyne, where she had taught him how to care for himself and others. “A guard’s main duty is to keep others safe,” she had yelled to him, “you need to know how to heal!”

    Shaking, Papyrus focused on his arms and hands. His magic twirled and spun like ribbons over his wounds, the blue hue of his magic becoming greener in color. The magic felt cold; similar to the feeling of chewing mint. For a few minutes more the magic did it’s work until Papyrus felt the tingly sensation leave him, leaving him with mostly healed arms. Well, except for some things, but that was to be expected. Two of his fingers were still broken and dark scars have taken place of the injuries.

    After having healed himself, Papyrus sighed. He really needed to stop doing this. But the rush, the exhilaration he felt afterwards, there was nothing that could compare to that! Papyrus knew he couldn’t stop doing it, the immediate relief of just hitting something made the noise in his head and the jitters in his body fade away. But they’d always come back, though. It was never permanent.

    Papyrus was tired. All the activity and healing had worn him out, but he didn’t want to go home. He couldn’t, not yet.

    Papyrus got up and began walking away. Where to, he didn’t know, but he just needed to leave Snowdin. The swarm of thoughts and feeling were beginning to resurface into his mind, but he was to worn from the dull pain still aching in his body to panic much.

    And so, Papyrus trudged on and on, across the forest, carried by the River Person, and through different environments until he was faced with the garbage dump. Ah, the place where he truly belongs.

    Wowie, when did he become so _cynical?_

    Papyrus let the sight of piles and mountains of trash distract him. There were some used toys and books, broken CDs and vinyl’s, old clothes and notebooks. Most of the things down here were from monsters, but there were some things that had come from the surface as well. Due to this, the dump had become a popular place for curious monsters who desired to know more about humans to scrounge around for different artifacts from the above.

    He smiled to himself slightly. Papyrus recalled to when he and Sans would come to the dump. Papyrus was just a baby-bones back then and they were looking for cool things to keep for themselves.

 

    “SANS SANS LOOK! THERE’S A BOOK LYING OVER HERE,” Papyrus had shouted.

    Sans would walk towards Papyrus and see what he was looking at. “ah,” he said as he got on his tiptoes to grab the book, “’peek-a-boo with fluffy bunny’, eh?”

    Papyrus pointed to the back cover of the book. “SANS DON’T YOU SEE? READ IT! ‘MADE IN CHINA.’ WE DON’T HAVE ONE OF THOSE DOWN HERE, SO IT HAS TO BE FROM THE SURFACE!” Papyrus cheered. Sans chuckled and pat Papyrus’ head; Papyrus was nearly outgrowing him those days.

    “huh, guess so. good job bro! say, how’s about we head back home and i read this to you tonight before you go to sleep, alright?” Sans had replied. Hearing his older brother praise him made Papyrus feel on top of the world. The younger nodded as the two began the trek back to Snowdin.

 

    Bringing himself back to the present moment, Papyrus began to blink rapidly, an attempt to hold back his tears. That was then, and this is now. He dug around in his pocket and grabbed his phone to check the time, which read 9 pm. Had it really been an hour already?

    Papyrus was dreading going back home still. “IT IS ONLY 9,” he reasoned to himself, “I’LL HEAD BACK AT 10.”

   The skeleton continued to wander whilst ruminating in his own brain when he came across the edge of the dump. He stared down into the seemingly never-ending abyss of the pit faced before him. He thought about how the trash that reached this point never came back. Papyrus grabbed a rock off the ground and threw it over the edge. He watched solemnly as the stone sunk farther and farther into the deep blue void.

    Papyrus had to admit it was tempting. Very, _very_ tempting.

    But he couldn’t, he can’t. Not with Sans the way he is, not with Undyne expecting him tomorrow for their cooking lessons. Flinging himself down as if he was just another piece of garbage in the dump would hurt the others. It would be entirely too selfish.

    So instead he sat down, his legs dangling over the ledge. Papyrus felt empty. He felt imprisoned within himself, and that no matter what he did there was no escape. No matter what he did, he would end up hurting someone. No matter what he did, they’d all hate him. All they saw him as was a naive, stupid child. Just a child. Papyrus sank his skull into his bruised hands. Had it not been for the great amount of silence in the area, he wouldn’t have heard the small, trembling footsteps walking towards where he was. He heard them grow louder and louder in volume, but surprisingly enough Papyrus didn’t care. He was so, so tired.

    The footsteps abruptly stopped after a bit. Papyrus made an opening with his fingers to peek at who had shown up. He saw yellow scales covered in a while lab coat. The monster seemed to be sitting, like he was. The monster was shaking, twitching and whimpering. Papyrus uncovered his face to see more clearly.

    It was Alphys.


	2. Sweaty Lizards and Skeletons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! It's been forever, I know, but I finally got around to updating this fic! (I wasn't lying when I said we'd see this one all the way through.) I've been through a whole bunch of mental health stuff, and I haven't found the motivation to write. Thankfully, I've found myself feeling a lot better, so here's a chapter for you guys! I apologize for any and all spelling and grammatical errors!   
> TW for eating disorders!!

Papyrus’ breath hitched. What was Alphys doing here? Oh no, she couldn’t be here she just couldn’t. Alphys knew Undyne and she’d tell Undyne about where he was tonight and she’d start asking him too many questions.   
  
Papyrus puffed up his chest and gathered every last bit of confidence he could muster and said, “OH ALPHYS, WHAT A DELIGHT TO SEE YOU HERE!”   
  
Alphys was still shaking. Beads of sweat were trickling down her scaly forehead and her eyes were puffy and red. She looked at Papyrus hesitantly and said nothing. She slowly lowered her body to sit down, but away from Papyrus. Her back was hunched and trembling.   
  
She wrung her clammy hands. “O-Oh, h-h-hi Pap-pyrus……….u-um wh…..what are y-you d-d-doing here?” she questioned quietly, stuttering much more than usual.   
  
Papyrus thought fast. W-WELL YOU SEE, I WAS DOING A LATE NIGHT PATROL WHEN I DECIDED TO ADMIRE THE FALLS. IT’S REALLY BEAUTIFUL, ISN’T IT?” _You only patrol Snowdin you **dunce** what were you thinking?_   
  
An uncomfortable silence sat between the two for what seemed like an eternity. Alphys sat with her hands folded on her lap whilst rocking back and forth. Every couple of seconds she would glance over at Papyrus who, like she, was staring into the pit of nothingness before them. Maybe it was her distorted mind right then, but she could have sworn he had the same hopeless gaze in his sockets that she wore in her own eyes.   
  
She had run off in a haze of guilt and panic. She was watching anime at the time in her room at the laboratory. Sitting beside her on her dingy old green couch were a stack of letters tightly sealed. None had been opened, but all had either small punctures or little scratch marks on the envelope. Alphys’ claws dug into the sofa cushions.   
“Come on Alphys, you can do it. Just one,”   
she thought to herself. Peeling her eyes away from the screen she hastily picked up one of the letters without thought and ripped open the seal. She read the envelope and saw that it was from the Snowdrake family. Chills when down Alphys’ spine. 

_**S.. n o….w..y**_   


NO, No No no nonononono no she wasn’t here. She was downstairs with all the rest of them. She wasn’t here to see her read the messages of her worried family, she wasn’t here to witness Alphys beginning to curl into a ball.   
  
The lights from the television screen felt like they were growing brighter and the noise penetrated her ears, each soundwave stabbing into her brain. Alphys began to hyperventilate and thrashed out of the couch, sending the letters flying, leaving hey lying down in a mess of her own mistakes.   
“G-G-God,” she whispered to herself, “t-there’s so m-many!”  
Too many for Alphys to handle. Alphys didn’t bother shutting off the television as she ran out of her house which then transitioned into a depressive trudge toward her comfort place.   
  


After about 5 minutes or so Papyrus turned his locked gaze towards Alphys, who was shaking a bit less than before but still seemed to be in a bad state. He cautiously shifted his hand out before her and patted the ground to get her attention.   
  
"ALPHYS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU SEEM BOTHERED BY SOMETHING," he asked quietly. Alphys' head snapped toward him in a quick jolt. She swallowed the lump in her throat, but then after a moment's hesitation continued to look down into the dark, trashy void.   
  
Papyrus shuffled uncomfortably on his seat on the ground. "W-WELL, YOU HAVE MY UNDERNET, RIGHT? IF YOU EVER DO DECIDE ON THAT TALKING THING, I'M USUALLY ALWAYS AVAILABLE!" he mentioned.  
  
Alphys toyed with her claws and then spoke up. “I-I, uh, should be g-going,” she forced as she moved to stand up on wobbly legs. He didn’t need her interrupting whatever he was doing. She knew he wasn’t really on patrol, that was a lie and they both knew it. Whatever was going on though, Alphys didn’t want to serve as more of a nuisance than she already had.   
  
Papyrus shook his head and stood up. “NO NO, PLEASE MS.ALPHYS, I’LL BE ON MY WAY.” He attempted as he rushed away back to Snowdin. Alphys stared back at him over her shoulder as he swiftly left the dump, wondering what was eating at the skeleton.   
  
______________________________________   
  
Sans sat on their dingy moss green couch, repeatedly tapping his foot against the floor. He rested his head against his right hand and continued his attempts at calling his brother. 

Where the hell was his brother? 

Sans had awakened by the cold draft in his room. He had lazily blinked his eyes open and shifted his head towards his bedroom window. It was tightly shut like it always was. It must have been Papyrus, Sans figured. Although, it was a bit strange. Papyrus was usually much more punctual then he was when it came to homely responsibilities. 

“pap, could ya check your window or some thin? i’m feelin’ real chilled to the bone over here,” Sans called out. He faced his alarm clock. 9 pm, huh? Papyrus should probably be asleep by now. Sans attempted to drag his ratty blanket back over him and fall asleep, but the chilly wind that came in contact with his body kept him from falling into a restful sleep.   
  
So he forced himself to get up and do it himself. After a moment of struggle and creaking bones (he really needed to work out more) he shimmied into Papyrus’ room. Sans cranked his neck around the space. The race car bed usually housed by Papyrus was vacant. That was strange, Papyrus was usually promptly in his room at around this time.   
  
The more he looked around though, the stranger the situation seemed. His bedsheets seemed to be rumpled and some of his figurines on his desk seemed to have fallen. Sans grit his teeth, a nervous habit he really needed to get rid of, and brought himself downstairs.   
  
“paps? you down here bro?” Sans called out as he reached the bottom floor. From there, Sans immediately met face with the source of the decreased temperature. The door was partially nudged open. 

_Ah shit_  

Sans began to form beads of (skeletal??) sweat as he rushed over to the door and opened it fully. No Papyrus in sight. Sans slammed the door shut and began pacing around the house, in hopes that maybe if he checked somewhere just one more time  
Papyrus would magically reveal himself and give Sans a hearty ‘NYEH HEH HEH’ and the two would laugh it off and go back to sleep. God, he wished it was all this easy.   
  
At around his third walk through near the kitchen, Sans finally laid eyes on a yellow note attached to the counter. Why didn't he notice it before? God, sometimes he could be so thick-skulled. Heh, thick- _skulled._  

_Jesus, Sans, focus for like 5 seconds and read the damn note._   
  
After inspecting the yellow paper Sans concluded that Papyrus had written it to let him know where he was. Sans would have chilled out by now if the note didn't seem like such crap.   
  
The handwriting on the note seemed hurriedly scratched onto the paper, with some areas having been peppered with small rips. This was a large contrast to Papyrus’ usual handwriting, which was as neat and flamboyant as a calligrapher’s who's practiced his craft for years.   
  
A quick call wouldn't hurt though right? Just to make absolutely sure his brother was safe and sound with Undyne and knew what he was doing.   
  
Sans dug into the pockets of his sweatpants, sifting through loose receipts and change to grab his phone and dialed Papyrus' number. He anxiously tapped his phone as he waited for a response, with each ring of the phone sending Sans' soul in a nervous tizzy.

After another second or so the phone hung up on itself, playing the default voicemail Papyrus had arranged for himself:

_"YOU HAVE REACHED THE INCREDIBLE PHONE LINE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS! UNFORTUNATELY, IT SEEMS TO BE AS IF I AM AWAY, BUT WORRY NOT FRIEND! I'M SURE I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS QUICK AS MONSTERLY POSSIBLE (AUDIBLE :))"_   
  
Biting at the tips of his finger bones he called him again. Nobody ever picks up on the first ring, right? He probably was just busy sparring with Undyne, just like he said he was. 

_"but paps **always** picks up on the first ring,"_ Sans thought to himself with a heavy stomach, _"he's papyrus."_   
  
  
But Sans tried again. And again. And Again. He even rung Undyne a few times but she didn't pick up either, which gave him some hope honestly that they actually were   
sparring and Papyrus just wasn't wandering off into the night after leaving the house while making a mess because why would he do that it's pappy he never leaves a mess anywhere he goes ever  
\-   
A slight creak was heard from the door and Sans instantly picked up his head from where it was placed facing down between his hands. Entering his house cautiously was a familiar tall figure who seemed to be walking on tippy-toes and gently locking the door behind him.

______________________________________

Papyrus slowly turned around and attempted not to make a sound as he entered his home with quiet feet. Hearing the door creakily whine open made his cringe as he shut the door. 10:30 pm already? Well, Papyrus thought, at least with his nerves calmed just a smidge he could sneak back up into his room and maybe get at least an hour or two of sleep.   
  
"hey papyrus"   
  
The taller skeleton jumped as he swiftly turned towards their couch to see Sans clutching his cellphone with a shaky hand, looking at him with an unreadable expression.   
  
Papyrus forced a smile. "O-OH, HELLO BROTHER! DID YOU SEE THE NOTE?" Papyrus asked, hoping Sans was maybe just up for one of his early midnight snacks and he hadn't just spent three and a half hours staying up for Papyrus. Because that would be terribly inconvenient for both of them, he thinks.

  
Sans slowly stood up from his seat. "yeah bro, i did. i _also_ saw how the paper and handwriting looks like a crazed ten-year-old got their hands on it, your room a mess, and my phone which also just seems to show the 15 missed calls i've left you which you didn't pick up," he muttered loud enough so Papyrus would hear.   
  
Papyrus internally slapped himself in the face. Of course, an idiot like himself would leave a mess of himself without thinking about the consequences. Papyrus nervously chuckled. "OH, YES, ERM THAT. UNDYNE TOLD ME I HAD TO GET THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND YOU KNOW, I CAN'T BE LATE WHEN THE CAPTAIN CALLS!" He plays an exasperated look on his face in response to Undyne's fictional antics.   
  
Sans stared at Papyrus for a while. He sighed deeply and walked towards him laid a hand on his hip and rubbing it, since his shoulder was much out of Sans' reach. "o-okay bro i just...try to tell me next time you go out this late alright? i'm just not used to you being up around now. i worry okay?"   
  
Papyrus nodded and gave his brother a smile. "OF COURSE BROTHER," he responded as he swiftly began to make his way up the stairs into his room.   
  
"uh, wait bro-" Sans began.   
  
Papyrus turned his head a bit too hurriedly. After tonight and being cause he wanted nothing but to run into his room and go to sleep.   
  
"you okay? you seem a bit jittery," he said, wearing a worried expression on his face.   
  
Forcing his hands to stiffen, Papyrus wearily smiled at his brother. "I'M FINE SANS. TRAINING HAS JUST LEFT ME A BIT SORE, IS ALL. I'M SURE A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP WILL FIX EVERYTHING RIGHT UP!" he shouts as he grins, goes into his room and closes the door, being careful not to shut it too hard.   
  
Papyrus flopped onto his bed and held his pillow over his face and struggled not to give in to the urge to scream.   
  
______________________________________   
  
Breakfast spaghetti! A staple in any skeleton's life that keeps them tough and strong. At least, that's what Papyrus likes to drill into his brother's skull anyways. Every morning the taller skeleton likes to go down into the kitchen and cook up some spaghetti for the both of them to eat that morning. The two would sit at the table and (hopefully) stir up some conversation to start up the day as two, well functioning and completely mentally healthy brothers. Because that's what they are!   
  
Papyrus stared down into his plate of food and twirled his fork in the noodles. Each strand of pasta looked like a thick string of poison in Papyrus' eyes. His metaphorical stomach growled against his will while looking at the food, however. However, The Great Papyrus would never give into mortal desires like hunger.  
  
He didn't really think he deserved to eat much, anyways. Not after almost being called out last night. Not after giving in to his anger for the third time that week.   
  
You see, Papyrus' eating habits were..less than healthy. He figured that the only redeeming qualities he had anymore were:

1\. Being the lovable doofus with a stupid, unwavering smile and

2\. Being fit   
  
While, being a skeleton, one wouldn't notice if he were relatively "fat" or not, Papyrus knew better. He wouldn't be worth much to people like Undyne who continues to train with him. He has to be perfect, always in shape to fulfill his dream of being in the royal guard. He needs to be perfect,   
because if he's not…   
  
then, well,  what would be the point in keeping him around?   
  
  
"hey paps, you alright bro?" Sans asked from across the table, giving his brother an inquisitive look.   
  
Papyrus nodded and mentally scolded himself. He had no idea he'd just spent the last five minutes playing with his food with his fork instead of shoving it in his mouth like a normal monster. Using his fork he shakily spun three noodles onto his utensil before replying, "YES, OF COURSE BROTHER! IT SEEMS THAT STAYING UP LATE IS NOT THE LIFESTYLE FOR THIS SKELETON, NYEH HE HE!" Papyrus put the pasta in his mouth and slowly chewed. 1,2,3,4,5. Each movement in his jaw he counted. No less than 40 chews, he always tells himself.   
  
Sans squinted at his brother for a moment, but then said, "well bro, you don't seem like the night owl type. waking up early seems to be much more of a _hoot_ to you." 

Papyrus choked on his meal. He flared at Sans with a look that conveyed _Sans not now please not at the breakfast table it's only 7 am is nothing sacred anymore????_  
  
"SANS, COME ON THAT ONE WASN'T EVEN GOOD," he grumbled.   
  
"then why do you look like you're giggling?"   
  
"IT'S A PITY GIGGLE, SANS."   
  
Good naturedly rolling his eyes, Sans finished up the last bit of his breakfast spaghetti and shimmied out of his chair. "welp, i'm off to the couch. just holler if you need me, paps."   
  
"SANS, WE HAVE WORK TODAY, GET YOUR LAZY BONES OVER TO THE DOOR AND HEAD TO YOUR STATION!"   
  
The shorter replied with a groggy "mmhmm" and Papyrus quickly fought with himself to scrape the rest of his food into the garbage can. Papyrus hated that those three puny strands of pasta had already left him hungry for so much more, so he made himself a large glass of water and chugged it down like there was no tomorrow. He grabbed both his and Sans' plates and rinsed them in the sink before joining his brother at the front door.   
  
______________________________________   
  
Papyrus organized and reorganized his puzzles as every once in a while he glanced towards his brother to find his dozing off at his station, as usual. It was a routine he had become more comfortable with as time went by. This is exactly what Papyrus loved. Structure, order, reliability. The more time he spent doing these mindless tasks equaled to less time he spent thinking.   
  
He hissed when he brushed his pinky on one of the levers of his puzzle. Papyrus took off his glove and looked down at his hand and flexed his fingers. It was still sore after last night, he thought. Even after healing it, Papyrus was sure that some fingers weren't fully unbroken.   
  
Grabbing his hand and quickly looking again to see if Sans was napping, Papyrus decided he would go to the inn and ask if the lady there wouldn't mind helping him out a little. Her healing magic was much better than his, after all.   
  
Making sure he had some spare coins in the pocket of his battle body, Papyrus made his way to the inn, with hopefully no disruptions.   
  
(Spoiler alert, there would be many disruptions) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I wonder what the not so subtly foreshadowed disturbance will be for our boy? Please don't hesitate to leave feedback as I am not the best writer and I also haven't written in a while. Thank you for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah. I hope you enjoyed the very first chapter. Don't worry, I very ,much do NOT plan on abandoning this fic any time soon. We're seeing this one through to the end, baby. It might take a long while for updates though. Huge apologies for any misspellings, grammar mistakes or just poor writing in general. This is my first time really committing to a writing piece, and I haven't written in a long while. Please bare with me with updates, as I am student swamped with school work at the moment. Thank you so much for reading, I greatly appreciate all of you. Thank you, and have a good day!


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